When you hear a title like “Social Media Marketing Specialist”, do you think, “Is this someone that just spends all their time online?” That’s yes, and no. It’s actually a lot more nuanced than simply that. Many jobs require being online, working on the cloud, particularly if you’re a company that relies on the cloud and maintains a large brand presence to consumers online. But the social media specialist’s job is focused on one end goal: Making sure that the brand and the company’s brand equity becomes more prominent online, day by day.

What does it mean to be a social media marketing specialist?

There are different names and titles for it, with the most common of them being a social media specialist or a social media manager, but they both mean the same thing: this is a person upon whom the brand’s online identity is entrusted. They are, essentially the voice of the social media accounts peppered throughout the different platforms populated by a huge number of potential clientele or customer base. It’s their job to showcase the company, the brand, it’s integrity and services and answers to the commentary left by potential and existing customers.

In a sense, they are the PR experts of a digital marketing world and social media is how they maximize brand equity.

What is a day like for a social media marketing specialist?

Let’s take Leila, for example. Leila is a manager for a highly reputable online company that specializes in selling fashion items for young and adult women. She handles their social media platforms with all the biggest audiences: Facebook, Twitter, and of course, Instagram. The brand is relatively well known in its local market, and as a result, Leila has a huge responsibility on her shoulders: keeping the company’s brand presence felt and consistent for its consumers.

Morning:

Leila works from the comfort of home. The benefit of being a social media manager is that this is an occupation that can be done right at home, with a steady internet connection and a laptop. In the mornings, she gets up and checks the company’s social media profiles. She checks to make sure that posts scheduled throughout the week have posted regularly, or if she has to schedule a few items more.

She touches base with other specialists in the marketing team, checking for updates: is there a new promotion going on? Is the new campaign about to begin? Are the proposed items for next week signed off on by the team leader? After making sure she’s received all her updates, the social media monitoring for the day begins. She also checks in on the latest trends in fashion. What’s selling? What colors are in seasons? What are people looking for? Moderating content is vital.

Afternoon:

After a quick lunch, and maybe her second cup of coffee for the day, she gets back to work. She makes a non-scheduled social media post or two (scheduled posts tend to make an account look bot-like to social media algorithms) promoting some discounts and products they’re pushing for the summer. She also makes sure to answer the questions on the social media pages she handles.

Interacting with customers in this manner requires a level head and some patience. Some customers may need to be informed of policy changes, updates, and more. They may need some issues with an order or an item to be resolved. Other times, she gets to make a witty response or two in answer to a nice comment left by a customer. As a social media marketing specialist, it falls to her to engage with the customers and improve the brand’s relations with them online.

Evening:

With the day winding down, you’ll be surprised to know that Leila has plenty of questions to answer. This is a time when everyone is on the evening commute or at home with free time, so more questions may come in. This is a prime time for posting some important announcements as well, such as great brand deals and more, since more customers will be able to see it.

At the end of her day, Leila wraps up the day with a final check on scheduled posts and preparing a report for the day to her supervisors. She lets them know what had been posted during the day, as well as some noteworthy issues customers may be bringing up. It helps the company stay abreast of how their client base is feeling, and what they can do to serve them better.

Finally, being a social media manager means being the online face of a brand. It requires someone truly savvy on the ongoing ups and downs of social media, and someone that can communicate well with the customers to make them feel heard and welcomed. With the right person for the job, someone diligent, patient, and observant, it can keep a brand’s PR running smoothly.

HOPLA is a work-from-home company offering talents expert in digital marketing and social media marketing. Get in touch to know more about our services.